Master your sailboat’s performance by using your traveler to fine-tune sail trim for blazing speed and power. This often-overlooked athwartship track can dramatically improve your sailing. Here are three easy, often forgotten ways to get the most from your traveler. Watch this sailing video to learn more. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

How can you use the secret of natural pivot point to make a sharp turn into a boat slip, avoid a collision with an obstruction or other boat, or turn around in a narrow channel? Watch this video to learn the answer and much more! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Few boat bilge pumps on the market can keep up with water flooding into a boat at a high rate. Before you cast off to go sailing this season, make sure to check the integrity of each ‘sea valve’ that covers holes drilled below your boat’s waterline. This single inspection could save your boat one day! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

All sailors need to know how to use a hank-on jib or staysail. If you get caught out in high winds with too much sail up, how can you make the task of lowering a hank-on headsail safer and easier for your sailing crew? Here’s one technique I learned while sailing in the gusty breezes and choppy waters of San Francisco Bay. (Also, see my video on furling a headsail in high winds: https://youtu.be/SEtJIYLCY3g) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine sailing downwind in a narrow channel, and you need to jibe to bring the wind onto the other side of the stern. What steps will you use to make this challenge safer and easier? Watch this video now. ( Also, see my video on how to use a ‘preventer’ when running downwind: https://youtu.be/31TZMlWOZaQ ) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you plan to sail along the coast or offshore, you’ll want to prepare your boat and crew for rough winds and seas. How can you use the secrets of course changes, weight distribution, or heaving-to for more safety and comfort at sea? Watch this video to learn the answers! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine sailing off the coast or offshore when you hear a Mayday call from another vessel on your radio. You are only two miles from their location, and no one else is closer. Are you required to assist the vessel? What seven steps will you take to help you decide on the safest ‘course of action’? Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Did you know that smoke from a diesel engine could signal internal engine damage or a line wrapped around your propeller? Avoid costly damage to your expensive sailing auxiliary. Watch this sailing video to learn more. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you spot a yellow flashing light ahead of your bow while sailing or motoring at night, what could this mean? What action should you take right now to avoid a deadly collision? Watch this sailing navigation video to learn the answers. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

You’ve anchored in a peaceful cove after a long sailing passage. Now, you’re settled into your berth for a restful night ‘on the hook’. Just after midnight, you are awakened as your boat shakes and shudders. You dash up the companionway ladder and find you’ve grounded on a rocky shoal. What ten defensive steps could prevent this? Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Did you know that in today’s slippery high-tech sailing line, some knots like the bowline can fail after a short time? Here’s a super-simple, quick solution to boost the integrity of any bowline used aboard your sailboat. Grab some line and tie along with this video! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Want to lower the stress of docking and make bringing your boat alongside a pier or into a slip easier than ever before? Put these five sea-tested skills into play today. Watch this sailing video to learn more. See this link to master the art of docking: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNLYH4YY/ Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

What sailing equipment costs less than one dollar, weighs less than one ounce and helps keep your sailboat mast up, your blocks and turnbuckles together, and shrouds and stays in place? Watch this sailing video to learn the answer! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you fall overboard, the countdown timer starts ticking. Emergencies at sea are time-critical. What easy ‘sail alone’ method could even a new sailor use to rescue a person in the water? Watch this sailing video to learn more. (also, see this video on how to get a sailboat into the heave-to position): https://youtu.be/uG9O9hg0Kq0) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine you are approaching your slip, but start the turn too late. Now, you have only seconds before you slide past. How can you turn 90-degrees into your slip using just reverse gear? Here’s one boat-handling maneuver all skippers need to know. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Sail along the coast or inside narrow passages, and wind and current can quickly change speed and direction. How can you predict these effects ahead of time to keep your crew safe and sound while coastal sailing? Watch this video to learn the answer! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you need to pry open a stuck shackle pin, splice a piece of line, or create leverage on a hard-to-reach fitting, what often-forgotten sailing tool will you turn to? Watch this video to learn the answer! (also, see this video on how to choose a great sailing knife: https://youtu.be/QXd3KoOa6Ds) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

What sailing malady causes more catastrophic failure than any other? Ignore this and you could risk damage or loss to your sailing rigging or sailboat. Watch this sailing skills video for a super low cost, easy sailing solution that you can use all season long aboard your sailboat! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

What sailing malady causes more catastrophic failure than any other? Ignore this and you could risk damage or loss to your sailing rigging or sailboat. Watch this sailing skills video for a super low cost, easy sailing solution that you can use all season long aboard your sailboat! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine that you need to break the anchor out of the seabed, bring it aboard, and clear away from other boats. Watch this sailing video to learn an easy way to retrieve a light to moderate weight anchor from your cockpit. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!